A Texas woman convicted in a drunken-driving crash that killed a college student has been sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to spend 15 days in jail each year while on probation.
Lynlee Pollis, 30, received the sentence Wednesday after a jury found her guilty of intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault in the September 2023 crash. The collision killed 19-year-old Southern Methodist University student Honor Wallace and seriously injured her friend, Catherine “CeCe” Solberg, The Dallas Morning News reported.
State District Judge Jennifer Balido also sentenced Pollis to 10 years of probation after her release from prison. The terms include 15 days in jail every year.
According to the newspaper, some of the mandatory jail dates fall on the victims’ birthdays, Pollis’ birthday and the anniversary of the fatal crash.
Lynlee Pollis, 30, was sentenced to seven years in prison after her conviction for intoxication manslaughter and intoxication assault in a 2023 Dallas crash that killed a college student. (Facebook)
The verdict followed about three hours of jury deliberations after a trial that lasted two and a half weeks.
During sentencing, Solberg’s father, Bobby Solberg, gave an emotional victim impact statement and criticized Pollis for putting both families through the lengthy trial.
“You were so drunk and you wouldn’t admit it. You made us sit through this [trial] for three weeks,” Solberg said. “We’ve seen no personal accountability from you.”
A Texas woman convicted in a deadly drunken-driving crash will serve additional jail time each year during probation after completing her prison sentence. (Dallas County Jail/Southern Methodist University)
Wallace’s father, David Wallace, also addressed Pollis during his victim impact statement.
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“You took the most precious gift from us through your selfishness,” he said. “Own it. Own what you did.”
On Sept. 24, 2023, Wallace was driving her Volkswagen Jetta through a green light in Dallas when Pollis’ Lexus SUV crashed into the car.
Wallace was pronounced dead at a hospital. Solberg, who was riding in the Jetta, suffered a shoulder injury and a concussion and was later diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Lynlee Pollis was convicted in connection with a September 2023 crash that killed 19-year-old Honor Wallace and seriously injured another Southern Methodist University student. (Facebook)
Prosecution experts testified that Pollis was traveling about 67 mph in a 35-mph zone and went through a traffic signal that had been red for at least five seconds, according to testimony cited by the newspaper.
Pollis’ husky, Tequila, was also in the SUV but was not injured.
Testing showed Pollis had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.294%, nearly four times Texas’ legal limit of 0.08%, The Dallas Morning News reported.
The initial arrest affidavit said officers observed that Pollis had glassy eyes, slurred speech and an odor of alcohol when they spoke with her at the hospital.
Her attorneys had asked the court to impose probation instead of a prison term, citing her lack of previous felony convictions.
During closing arguments, defense attorney Scott Palmer described Pollis as a “good person who made a terrible decision.”